St. Thomas Church (Lymington)
St. Thomas' is the parish church of the Hampshire town of Lymington, on the Solent and on the edge of the New Forest.
Situated in the High Street, the church is reminiscent of another St. Thomas' not very far away - Portsmouth Cathedral (Anglican).
The oldest part of the church is the sanctuary, which dates from about 1250. It contains a large window in memory of Admiral Sir George Rose Sartorius, who served at Trafalgar when he was 15.
The Courtenay Chapel was added by Hugh Courtenay, Earl of Devon, in about 1325. The Courtenay family had connections with Hereford as well as Devon, but their connection with Lymington has been forgotten.
There are splendid 18th century galleries.
The tower was erected in 1670, and the distinctive Georgian cupola was part of the Town Hall that was once sited in the middle of the High Street. It was damaged in the 1987 hurricane, and restored at great expense. Its pronounced tilt was required to be retained.
St. Thomas' was badly damaged on a number of occasions in the 14th and 15th centuries when the town was raided by the French, and in the 16th century during the Civil War.
Rev Henry Francis Lyte, who wrote "Abide With Me", was once curate here.